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Minnesota House of Representatives

State Representative Denny McNamara

359 State Office BuildingState Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-3135

For more information contact: Jason Wenisch 651-296-2317

Posted: 2008-03-02 00:00:00
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NEWS COLUMN

NEWS AND VIEWS FROM REP. DENNY McNAMARA

Hi everybody,

On Thursday, state economists gave lawmakers some unwelcome news, as Minnesota now faces a $935 million budget deficit. This figure represents about three percent of our current budget.

I believe this is a manageable figure. Granted, it could be solved by depleting our budget reserves, but that’s probably not the best idea as it would leave us without any flexibility for next year, when we’re currently projected to face a $1 billion deficit. We could certainly use some of the reserves this year, but not all.

What we need to do to solve this shortfall is prioritize our spending and see what we can do differently. Now is not the time to continue raising taxes. With the recently passed transportation funding proposal, we have already increased the tax burden on our residents and many of them cannot handle any more. As Governor Pawlenty recently said, it’s time once again to tighten our belts.

Speaking of the transportation bill, now that the money is in place to replace the Hastings bridge, our Hastings Bridge Coalition can now focus its efforts on the timeline for replacement. Truthfully, it could take two to three years - or as many as five - to complete studies relating to feasibility, environmental impacts, and design of a new four-lane structure. I will be working closely with the Coalition and with MnDOT to ensure that the Hastings bridge is replaced in the shortest time frame possible.

Also worth mentioning for those who remain concerned about our groundwater, the Minnesota Department of Health will be holding public meetings on March 4th in Hastings and Cottage Grove to discuss what has been learned in the past year about perfluorochemicals (PFCs) in groundwater and discuss public health concerns. The Hastings meeting is Tuesday, March 4, 2008 from 5:00-6:30 p.m. It will start with a presentation followed by questions and answers. It will at the Hastings City Hall's Community Room, 2nd floor, 101 Fourth Street East. The Cottage Grove meeting will also be on March 4th. It begins at 6:00 p.m. with an Open House then the presentation will be from 7:00-8:00 p.m. followed by questions & answers at 8:00-9:00 p.m. It will be held at the All Saints Lutheran Church, 8100 Belden Blvd, Cottage Grove, MN. If you want additional information visit the Dept. of Health website at www.health.state.mn.us/news/pressrel/pfc022808.html.

Keep in touch,

Denny

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